Method of preparing cellular materials



s shmshaet 1 Feb. 27, 1940. E. H. HAux ramon or 'rnwmmq cmLLULAn MATEniALs mnd Jan. 22, 195s INVENmR. 'fvfw H. H@ u/ A TmRNEYs.

Prasad Fea-21, 1940 vUNITI-:p STATES PATENT oFFlcE 2,191,658 METHOD oF rnnraama LLULAa Elmer H. Haux, Tarentum, Pa., aignor to Pittsy i burgh Plate Glass Company, Allegheny County, Pa., a corporation oi Pennsylvania Application January 22, 1938, Serial No. 188,328

ZCiaims.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of cellular or porous materials and it has particular relation to the preparation oi' the cellular material from glass, slag, or similar rela- Al5 tively highly refractory substances which become plastic at elevated temperatures.

One object of the invention is to provide a process of preparing cellular materials from glass, blast furnace 10 materials which is substantially continuous in operation, requires but small expenditure of labor and which results in a relatively uniform product of such character that it may be sawed, nailed, or otherwise manipulated with relative These and other objects will be apparent from consideration of the following specincation and It has heretofore been proposed to prepare I cellular bodies possessing relatively low thermal v conductivity and high resistance to decomposition by heat, by introduction of gas cells'or bubbles into molten or plastic glass, or blast l furnace slag, in order to form a foam-like structure. Conventional methods oi' forming such materials have involved introduction oi' a gassing material such as charcoal lor the like into molten glass where by reason oi heat and chemical. reaction, relatively large volumes of a. las weregenerated to convert the molten material into bubbly structure. It has also been proposed to subject portions oi' molten glass in suitable molds to evacuation, to liberate the gases absorbed therein as bubbles, which upon chilling of the mass provide a permanent cellular structure. These methods as heretofore conducted were objectionable because they were intermittent in character. Also, the introduction oi' the Bassins material into molten glass usually re- 0 sulted in/'a mere glassy, vitreous body having bubbles incorporated therein. Such materials were objectionable because there was relatively poor distribution of the bubbles and because they could not be readily cut or nailed.

`According to the provisions of the present invention the foregoing dilliculties are reduced or substantially eliminated by heating a mixture of ground or crushed glass, slag, or other suitable vitreous but thermoplastic materia-l and a gasslng l. agent such as calcium carbonate to a temperature above that of decomposition of the gassing agent, such temperature being above that of incipient fusion ofv vitreous 4 nur teriall--''l.he""re sultant foamy mass is caused to flow through 'a suitable oriiice upon a conveyor or table which slag, or similar refractory (Cl. 49-77) v l is caused to move at suitable rate with respect to the orifice. Y

Embodiments of apparatus suitable for practicing the present invention are disclosed in the drawings in which Figures .1, 2, and 3 are each vertical cross-sectional views of simplified forms. In the form of the'invention disclosed in Figure 1 a tubular rearwardly and upwardly inclined extruding chamber I0 0i' suitable crosssectional contour is provided at its upper extremity with an upwardly directing throat il which opens into an open hopper I2 and the Passage between the throat and the hopper is closed by means of a slide valve i3. Ibr purposes of assisting the natural gravitation forces acting upon the pulverulent mass oi' the material in impelling the material through the extruding chamber, a piston or plunger I4 is disposed inthe latter and is connected to a piston rod Ii which projects through the rear extremity of the chamber. This piston rod at its rear extremity is provided with a piston Il which reciprocates in a suitable cylinder, I 8 and fluid for actuating the piston I1 is admitted to the cylinder by means of conduits I9 and 2li. At its lower extremity, the extruding chamber is n provided with a nozzle-2l .tapering to an orificel of suitable dimensions.

'I'he lower portion of the extruding chamber and nozzle 22 are enclosed in a furnace 23 formed of nre-brick or other refractory material and containing a plurality oi burners 24 which may be'fed with combustible `material for purposes 0f directing aheating name upon the exterior oi' the extruding chamber and nozzle. Of course any other convenient'means may be employed for heating the material as it is fed downwardly. For example, it is possible to provide electrical resistance about the chamber. and nozzle. It is also possible to provide electrodes for co ducing a current of electricity directly through the batch whereby to generate heat in the latter. A stream of cellular material 2B discharging from the nozzle 2| is received upon a sup`v Dort which in the embodiment of vapparatus under discussion comprises a suitable ilat surface or table 2l which constitut. the bottom of the furnace il. I'his table at its rear end projects through an opening 21 in the rear wall of the furnace 23 and supports a series of movable plates 28 formed of fused silica, carborundum or other suitable heat-resistant material. These plates are inserted through the opening 21 and are moved forwardly by means oi' a suitable ram zn which 1s attached to the forward v end of e. pistn rod si. The 1an-.er element in turn is secured at its rearward end to a piston 32 which reciprocates in a cylinder 33. Fluid for actuating the piston is admitted by means of conduits 34. Forming or sizing rollers disposed in advance of nozzle 22 assist in smoothing and shaping the freshly formed plastic sheet.

The plates 2t, after they have passed through the furnace 23, are supported upon suitable conveyor rollers 31 which may be driven by suitable means (not shown). A lehr 39 is spaced forwardly from the forward end of the furnace 23 in order to provide a. space admitting of the rapid cooling of the cellular structure to the annealing temperature.

It will be manifest that if desired the table 26 and the rollers 31 for supporting the plates 28 may be replaced by a suitable chain conveyor to which the plates 28 may beattached or upon which they may be disposed. A

In the operation of this embodimentxof.. the apparatus a mixture of finely divided or pow`- dered glass, slag, or other suitable vitreous material which may be cold or which may be pre heated to any temperature (e. g. 1000 or 1200 F.) below the temperature of sintering, and a gassing agent such as calcium carbonate, charcoal, or the like is fed into the hopper l2 while the valve i3 is closed. and the piston I4 is retracted. Glass suitable for the purpose may be 0f theformula. employed in fabricating sheet glass and should be crushed to such size that substantially all will pass a 28 mesh screen while substantially all will be retained by a screen of 200 mesh per inch. Tlie calcium carbonate is employed in a ratlocf 1 or 2 per cent and preferably in a ratio of lJ/g per cent.

When the valve I3 is opened and the mixture runs down into the extrudingchamber I@ and is then heated to a temperature sumcient to sinter or soften the particles of refractory material and to decompose the gassing agent. Assuming that ordinary sheet glass is crushed'to provide the vitreous body, initial sintering will occur at a temperature of about 1350-1400 F. The calcium carbonate will decompose st a temperature of about 1500 F. Preferably the material passing through the nomic 2l will be at s. temperature somewhat above the temperature of decomposition of the calcium carbonate, (e. g. 1600 or 1650" F.) but below the true melting point ci the glass. The upper range of temperature seems to be about 1700 or 1750 F. When the 'material in valve ig swivelly connected to an upwardly-exthe chamber i@ reaches the temperature of extrusion it may be sufiiclently uid to flow-.from the nozzle, by expansion of the incipientlyiv fused mass in the heating chamber or nozzle iso-form a cellular structure. Such flow maybe considered as being due to chemical action within the mass rather than to externally applied mechanical or iiuid pressure. Of course considerable frietional resistance is exerted by the pulverized mass in its progress through the chamber. Some re sistance may also be set up by the sihtering together of the particles of glass just prior to its reaching a temperature at which the calcium carbonate decomposes `to provide a flowable cellular mass. This sintered but unexpanded mass E fairly sti or rigid and a certain amount of force may ce required to propel it forward.

Sumcient mechanical or fluid pressure may be erected upon the mass to overcome these variousresistences and thus to obtain adequate rate oi movement of the material. Howeverz the process does not depend for operability upon change or release of pressure upon mass containing a gas in order to induceexpansion to cellular form.

'Ihe mass as it leavesthe nozzle 2l is receivedupon the plates 28 which are actuated forwardly at a uniform rate, e. g. 3 or 4 inches per minute by means of the plunger 29. The cellular material upon the plates 28 after leaving the furnace is quickly cooled approximately rto the annealing temperature of about 1100" F. in the space between the furnace and the lehr. After reaching the annealing temperature the sheet is carried forwardly through the lehr and is subjected to gradual cooling until the internal strains in the mass have been sufficiently reduced to obtain stability.

The cellular sheet after annealing and cooling is found to comprise a foam-like structure which has been expanded to approximately 7 to 10 times the volume of the original pulverized material fed into the hopper I2. It is substantially opaque though usually of white or light color. Apparently ltislcomposed of a bubbly mass, the cell walls of which'are composed'of relatively une .particles of glass which are partially but not completely fused together. It is distinguished from mere bubbly sheet glass because it can be sawed, ground or nailed with ease, without any tendency to shatter.

In the form of the invention disclosed in Figure 2, batch material comprising pulverized glass or slag and a small percentage of gassing agent such as calcium carbonate is fed by-means of a chute into a columnar chamber 4l which may be formed of ure-brick, or other refractory mate-` rial, or heat-resisting steel. 'I'he lower portion of the chamber is disposed in vertical portion il of a furnace Il and is heated by suitable means, for example, by means of gas burners 49 disposed'at suitable intervals thereabout. Itv

will be manifest that the gas burners may beV replaced by electrical heating elements or if preferred electrodes may be projected into the material in the chamber and a current of electricity conducted through the batch itself in order to heat the latter. The chamber 48 at its lower extremity is provided with a forwardly curving portion 5B which. terminates in an orice tl.

The size of this orifice may be regulated. or the orifice may even be entirely closed by means of a slide valve l52 disposed transversely thereof. The

tending adjusting screw 63 which is threaded through a forwardly-projecting ange 54 upon a bracket that projects upwardly from. the forwardly-extending portion 50 of the heating chamber. '.The screw also extends upwardly through a horizontal shelf or ledge 51 in the wall ofthe furnace 48 and at its upper extremity a sintered is providedwith a suitable hand wheel 5lk by..

means of which the position of the valve 52 may be manually adjusted. i

Means for conveying away the freshlyformed sheet of cellular material at a uniforrnrate comprises a conveyor es which is disposed in horizontal position immediately below the orifice 5I and is trained about suitable sprockets or rollers 8i and 62, upon shafts 83. Transversely disposed bars Se of suitable refractory material such as chromium steel or a refractoryceramic body are disposed upon the conveyor 59 lnorder to provide a uniform surface suitable-forI reception of the cellular sheet. In order to prevent lateral spreading of the sheet while lt is still plastic side walls can expand vto form a light cellular body, and cooling the body. v

2. A method of forming .a refractory cellular insulating sheet which comprises pulverizing a material selected from a class consisting of glass and blast furnace slag so that substantially all of it will pass a scree`n of about 28 mesh while substantially all of it is 'retained by a screen of about 200 mesh, admixing the material with about 1 to 2% oi' calcium carbonate as a gassing agent, then gradually heating the mixture in order rst to sinter the particles -of pulverized vitreous material together at their points of aromas Y contact into a coherent mass, then to decompose the calcium carbonate to liberate-*bubbles of carbon dioxide gas, and nnally to a maximum within a range of about 1600 to 1750 degrees F.: A to soften the material so that the liberated gases' 54- can expand to form a light cellular body, flow-i -ing the softened material through an orice of appropriate size and shape, receiving the material from the orifice upon a moving conveyor to shape the body into a continuous sheet and cool- 1o' ing and annealing the sheet.

zum H. HAUx. 

